Behemoth Labyrinth
by Symbol of Insanity
Summary: Monsters and Demons are real, they live inside of us, and sometimes, they prevail… Itachi, Hinata, Kisame, Hidan.
1. Weltschmerz

_Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other._

It hurt to breathe. A gasping cough rumbled the inside of her chest as burning tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Her palms pressed against the firm ground, desperately demanding herself to get up. Her limbs burned in agony, screaming in protest. Her body was struggling against her spirit. She wanted to get up…she had to get up…she did want to fail _again_…but in the end her body won against the soul, and eleven year old Hinata Hyuuga's small frame laid flat against the ground of the training field.

Closing her eyes didn't make the whispers, hisses, or soft sighs of disappointment go away. Unlike the rest of her audience, the girl's grandfather was more vocal for the moment someone handed him back his worn out twisted cane, it tapped against the ground by his feet with displeasure.

"That was quite pathetic. Why do we even bother to training you when it's obvious this is the best you can do?" the old man spat callously at the small shaking form before turning to the Clan head.

Hiashi betrayed no emotion in his deadpan pallid eyes, but it was unspoken between father and son that disappointment was there.

Some of the young members helped the elder to the porch and the old man glimpse once more at the trembling child, left alone in the center of the training ground since everyone else was moving along.

"Tis' a pity," was all the old man said; but those words were more than enough to damn the girl.

Only when certain that she was alone Hinata slowly lifted her head up, her pale face streaked with tears, blotches of dirt, and small scratches. Now sitting erect the girl dared to look up when a shadow was cast above.

There eyes only meet for a second until the girl lowered hers.

Hiashi didn't have to ask how she could lose to a man five times her age, he already knew the answer. The answer was in the girl herself, in the stumbling, stuttering, bunch of nervousness that was Hinata. The girl seemed to serve no other propose than to continuously bring shame and disappointment to his family name.

Hiashi didn't know, or even want to know, what went wrong with Hinata, it didn't matter. He had another daughter, one that could become their heir and correct the mistakes that were made with Hinata and her development into a Hyuuga.

Hinata slowly rose to her feet, knees and legs scraped and bleeding. The girl moved to speak; but before even a breath could be could escape her lips, Hiashi sharply turned his heel and walked away from her with out a single word.

His walking away confirmed her suspicions and her greatest fears to be true.

Hinata fell to her knees, not in psychical pain but more accurately the wavering of her spirit. She knew what the fight had meant, it was a last chance for her to prove herself to the clan, and she had failed.

She wanted to be mad, she really did. Screaming would have been acceptable now that she was alone. She could pound her fists into the ground until they bled and all of her fingers were broken and no one would mind but …she couldn't find it in herself to do that.

Instead she just let the tears fall from her eyes and mix in with the dirt staining her face.

* * *

Itachi's stoic expression warped into a tight grimace as he and Kisame neared the completion of their mission. The assignment was relatively simple, but for the fact that their targets resided in Konoha, this caused some difficultly, but it was nothing the two S-ranked criminals couldn't manage.

Itachi glared at Kisame briefly, before turning his attention back to the dilapidated looking white mansion directly ahead of them. Presently he and Kisame were crouched on the roof adjacent to the dourly white edifice, waiting for the signal to finally ignite the whole structure.

It wasn't unusual that he and Kisame got dispersed missions to different countries; often they carried out assassinations and espionage that drew little attention. This time the assassination was a bit different; it wasn't the fact that there were multiple targets but rather the manner in which the targets were to die; an explosion.

Of course, an explosion wasn't Itachi's preference, but they had no say in the decision; the gang that hired them to exterminate the rival group specifically ordered the assassination to be done by way of incineration.

Itachi thought it was unbelievably superfluous and drew too much attention for its own good.

The sky was darkening by this time and the last of the expected party had arrived. Itachi could vaguely make out the individuals inside of the building. He noticed most of them were older men with the exception of some; they were laughing loudly and slapping each other on the back, while taking long swigs of dry whisky.

Itachi thought it was sickening.

* * *

"Father will be furious with me." Hinata thought as she slowly began to make her way from of Academy's training field. 

Rushed footfalls staggered against the rundown pathway that led out of the field and into the village.

The Hyuuga heiress was wandering the streets well after sunset, because she had fallen asleep against a tree in the training field after Academy was released.

It was unwise for her to be out so late.

She found herself putting off going home more and more. Home just… wasn't the same since she had lost her fight a few months before, on her eleventh birthday. At first it was just her staying after Academy to sleep or train…but now in was regular for her to slip through the academy gates in the late afternoon.

'Wicked individuals' roamed the streets at night. At least that's was the young heiress was taught, long before she could even speak properly.

Now the orange and red streaks that had once decorated the sky had now vanished leaving sunlight a pleasant distant memory.

On either side of her, light leaked through house windows and peered from underneath doors, guiding her careful yet rushed steps.

Regulars of the diverse bars lining the streets voiced words that sounded both strange and vulgar to her ears, making Kohona appear foreign and terrifying to one of its own daughters.

Normally Hinata could have made her way back home with hardily an awkward glance, but today…it was different… she didn't recognize anything and it horrified her.

Just as Hinata quickly past a bar someone emerged, tauntingly looking down upon her. She rested her gaze on him with frightened colorless eyes. The drunkard moved to speak but before he could complete a singe slurred word she backed up blindly turning and running rather than walking down the streets.

Coming to a halt only when she was out of breath Hinata leaned up against a vacant building chest heaving from physical exertion.

Her heart tightened in panic when she realized she was lost and oh so vulnerable.

* * *

Kisame waited until he was certain that the last of the murder targets were settled into their respected places and were openly discussing group affairs. He shifted slightly on the weather worn roof as gravel crumpled to some extent under his feet. He wordlessly gave Itachi a knowing glance before he let his hands from the necessary seals to active the hundreds of exploding tags that lined the inside of the walls and the lined the roof. 

Itachi and Kisame together rose from their crouching positions as a resounding blast shook the area. The building roof instantly caught fire, sending massive chunks of burning wood crashing down onto the people below. Embers caught the woodwork and glowed steadily, setting everything aflame.

The cold night breeze blew pieces of hot ash around the vicinity. The side of the building ignited then, sending large portions of charred and burning timber soaring into surrounding buildings.

* * *

The hour was growing later but still Hinata had not found her way home. Stumbling about dark and unfamiliar paths she took every turn and had even resorted to activating her blood limit once or twice in order to find a course that would lead her home. 

But even with the Byakugan she couldn't tell one road from another.

Lips pressed tightly together the girl could easily hear the disapproval in her father's tone. Tonight, as with most nights, he had been proven right. She was too useless to even find her way back to the Hyuuga compound.

She still had to try though, with each new road she went down she activated her Byakugan, only to be let down since the sky became darker, hindering her enhanced vision.

She twisted down a new road. This was when she found herself standing down a lightly clouded lone road. She sniffed the air for a moment before realizing that it was smoke. Something must be burning, she thought as she continued down the path. That is until a deafening blast resounded and Hinata found her vision completely clouded by a smoldering fog.

* * *

Itachi and Kisame jumped off the roof and begin to search the wreckage. They had little time before the ANBU showed up. One of the problems with using explosions to exterminate is that you can never be sure of all of the targets dieing, often, one or perhaps two targets survive and that causes many bothersome issues. 

Kisame advanced towards the still burning wreckage to scan for any survivors, while Itachi headed down one of the roads that caught fire during the blast. He could sense someone close by; someone who got caught up in the debris of the blast, he assumed.

She swallowed a gasp as she hit the ground, rubble falling on her and pinning her to the cold solid earth. Hinata tentatively tried to lift herself, but quickly fell back down, trying not to look at the wreckage of her legs. White bones glared at her from beneath pale skin. Her mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out but a strangled croak.

She was trapped and she felt every nerve in her body with sharp awareness; how the cold earth made her back tremble, how the pressure of the wreckage pushing down on her small body made her feel numb.

Struggling to look up she dimly made out a figure slowly approaching, looking down at her. The form moved closer to her, but she doesn't see it, because the smoke was in her eyes and her legs were bleeding, making tears gather in her eyes. And she can't breathe…

_I don't want to die_, she thinks. _This isn't real! This isn't me!_

* * *

Oh, this chapter took so long, but I've been super busy, and I've had to take quite a few hours off from working to frolic in the snow. Had to, honest. The little fairies were threatening me. I've also decided that after this endeavor, I am going to probably start taking any and all requests with any Naruto pairing, and I do mean ANY pairing 


	2. Pharmacon

- - - - -

**H**inata would have screamed; she would have raised her voice as high as she could, if she could but recall the motion and the meaning behind it. Hinata stilled for a moment horrified at the events that occurred. After a moment her throat unclenched and she allowed herself to inhale and exhale.

The pain made her wince, and she stiffly turned her head to cough the blackened remains of ash in her throat roughly into the fabric beneath her head (who's she didn't know, suffice to say that it was there and warm and smelled of funeral pyres and camellia.) The smell brought forth a burst of remembrance, something brief and glowing brightly from behind her eyes, and her arms and throbbing legs tense against her in recalled pain. There are flames; there is fire, and the sensation of being crushed and suffocated crept up her senses.

Hinata quickly blinked open opal eyes, still pallid but watery and hazed instead of clear. There was still the shadow of smoke in them, turning her eyes red. All she saw was dark, an impenetrable veil that kept her surroundings a mystery. For a moment she laid there, and after another tentative look at the darkness she reached out grasped at shadow. She found that she could push against it, and with what hope she had, she moved it to the side until at last she can see the dance of firelight outside. She shuddered for a moment thinking that perhaps she was dead, until the freshness of the air hit her mouth and nose.

She sighed, feeling the wonderful breeze on her face.

"For a little thing, she sure is noisy," says a gruff voice, and Hinata jumped slightly with terror when she realized that it is the harsh voice of someone she had never met before. She is not in a very safe place, Hinata knows, but she figures anything is better than under the smoking wreckage of an explosion.

"For this particular girl, she has been very quiet." Hinata listened intently as that smooth voice poured over her like water, but it was icy and not at all comforting. There was no warmth in the red eyes that gazed at her from across the camp through the hole she had made for herself.

_Itachi Uchiha_

Hinata hastily dropped the curtain and with difficulty inched to the edge of the tent, putting as much distance between her and _him _as she could. So many questions ran through her mind. She didn't know why she wasn't dead or who the other man was or where she was.

So many unasked and unanswered questions…incredible.

There was a long silence outside of her self-contained shelter, but Hinata didn't relax or breathe easier. She could feel his stare through the curtain. There was no wicked intent behind them, only a penetrating presence that made her inch away farther. She awkwardly turned away from them, and closed her eyes tightly wondering if her family even cared that she was missing. Hinata felt the face burn with shame at being proven weak and inefficient yet again. As she let her eyes shut again she wondered if she had screamed in her sleep.

- - - - -

_The flames were back again, and that horrible gasping noise was back, reverberating from her head to her stomach. The shadow stalked closer to Hinata, and she could see the silhouette of the crimson clouds they favored, dancing in the heated air. The shadow stepped almost silently next to her, stirring up ashes and dust around their feet. Hinata watched as one white arm reached toward her and a cool finger was pressed to her throat, and for a moment Hinata felt overjoyed to know she was feeling and alive. _

_Even then, Hinata felt her legs throbbing in pain, building the nausea in her stomach to overwhelming levels. She refused to look down at her legs because she didn't need to know what they are made of because she can -see- it, ripped to shreds under splinters and rock. _

"_Is she alive?" asked a second shadow, now standing closely by the other, a taller one, eyes rounded and slits at the cheeks, a shark by temperament and appearance. Hinata shied away looking at the second one, he looked dangerous and frightening. _

"_Hm," said the first shadow in a noncommittal tone, nodding at his partner and giving the surrounding buildings a sharp sweeping glance. Hinata shifted when she felt the hand that had been feeling for a pulse pull up and slip over her eyelids, closing them. She drew back as one errant hand rubbed through her hair, moving the ashes out of it and soothing her as a genjutsu invades her conscience and numbs the pain._

- - - - -

_Anfang_

- - - - -

Sitting straight up, Hinata took a breath, and it sounded so haunted and pained she grimaced. Without any warning glowing red eyes were beside her, holding her firmly around the wrists, and glaring so intently Hinata wanted to curl into a ball and disappear.

The red sharingan eyes did not waver and Hinata felt a calm feeling spread through her. Its hypnotism, like magic, she thought, just like they do in the hospital when someone's critically injured.

"Are you able to hear me?" Itachi said, slowly and smoothly. Hinata almost forgot to respond, she was so intent on the dulcet sound.

"Y-yes" she says in a discordant voice, and she could feel her vocal chords scream at her for ever daring to draw breath. She had screamed them raw and now they feel the need to return the favor.

"Do you know what's happened?" He says in the same tone again, ignoring the grimace on her face. One of his hand strayed to lift and look under the blanket, and Hinata briefly felt cold against her still bleeding legs, the bandages nearly useless. Her pants were utterly tattered, and she couldn't stop the red burn of embarrassment staining her face.

Hinata nodded slowly (_how could she not know?_) and prepared to say more, but Itachi was gone and left Hinata wrists limp on her sides, cold and a little tingly from the rush of blood. The blanket had been drawn back up over her chest again and the red eyes of the sharingan gazed at her again from across the camp, lulling her to drowsiness. A cold chill ran down her back as she wondered if they will merely let her bleed to death, letting the ground soak her up like bitter rain.

For a moment Hinata didn't really mind the thought because the other alternative was going back home to face all the shame she had undoubtedly caused her clan yet again. That and she couldn't stand the red gaze of Uchiha Itachi a moment longer. A lump formed in her throat and a familiar burning sensation stung her eyes as tears swelled up.

- - - - -

Third time's the charm, Hinata recalled, as she regained consciousness, though this time waking was tinged with pain and nausea, and many white bandages. She noticed that she's not covered in a blanket this time, or close to a fire pit to keep her warm, instead she is laid out on a white sheet with surgical equipment surrounding her, with simple things like rubbing alcohol and compounds that she guesses are supposed to make her feel better.

She hoped that one of them can do that. (_Everything else seems to fail_.)

Without warning, cool hands are on her face, feeling her slick forehead for fever. They are gentle and soothing and Hinata couldn't recall when someone had ever touched her so kindly.

Pain shot up through her legs and hit her in the chest in a chain reaction and she winced harshly against it as her mind seized away from it. The hand was still on her face, firmly gripping each side of her face, daring her to turn away. But now instead of just the sterile ceiling, she can (_but wishes not to_) look up into the face of Uchiha Itachi. The sharingan eyes are not on this time, and she knows that this time she will not be made to go to sleep again. The harshness around Itachi's eyes are gone, leaving what Hinata thinks is a beautiful face that is pale and attractive.

"It is unfortunate that you would wake at this time." says Itachi, lips barely moving and voice almost a whisper.

"I-it hurts," Hinata said with shame that always seemed to haunt her throughout her life.

Itachi nods, "It was very foolish of you to have been out so late, especially somewhere so far from home. Your navigational skills are very poor."

"Did you know why you're here?"

"N-no."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Y-yes."

"Well, then why do you think you're here, Hyuuga?"

"I-I don't know."

Itachi sighed, in what must have once been a show of amusement or incredulity, but is now only a skeleton of the feeling. Itachi swiftly moved to gather up more bandages, working with efficient movement, no energy wasted.

"Your legs are burnt and your bones are crushed, and it appears that you're not healing very quickly. We've done the best we can, but until we get to our destination, this is all we can do.

Hinata shifted slightly feeling panic rise in her chest and glanced down at her bleeding legs with a grimace. She resisted the urge to hitch her legs up to her chest.

"I-I don't understand, am I-I going home?"

"No."

"Why--?"

"Complications" Itachi replied simply.

"L-like w-what?," she asked quietly, her voice hushed and more strained than she thought possible, and was like she had not even spoken at all, because Itachi made no indication of having heard her.

Ashamed for a moment she pushed herself until Itachi came back around to her face, his cool hands smoothing over her pale cheeks as though admiring the colorless skin, a mere ghost of a touch. Hinata almost recoiled from the cold touch, not wanting it anymore.

Itachi must have sensed her hesitation, because he quickly pulled his hand back.

"Perhaps you're smarter than you seem," Itachi says softly, putting medical supplies away.

"I-I just want to go home."

Itachi looked her over lazily, and Hinata imagined how she must have looked in the little room, laying down like a corpse that just happened to still be warm, with her face and limbs covered in bruises and cuts, little burns peppering her in what must have once been larger cuts.

"Then you are not smart, but a fool."

Itachi finished up, leaving with a harsh glare, not the placid expression he wore mere seconds ago. Hinata wondered what might have caused this change in the Uchiha. She contemplated his words closely; she had always been 'just there' when she was in the Hyuuga compound. She was the afterthought of the house. No one cared about her anymore. No one really looked at her.

She was the disgrace.

Still she wanted to go home.

- - - - -

Anomalous chapter but I do have my reasons... not that I can tell you what they are yet... Is the suspense killing you? Didn't think so. Well, now that this is done and out of the way, I'm going outside to dance around in the rain, again.

OK you've read the chapter; now just tell me what you think.


End file.
